John 9:6-7 -- Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
After covering some rougher terrain, the past few days in Jesus' reply to the disciples, today we see Him move to action. Also, when I say "rougher terrain" we covered some personal and direct things that hopefully challenged you as much as it did me.
Just in the writings of John we've seen Jesus do several miracles and most have been done through an unseen manner (multiplying bread/fish) or simply at His Word (Wine into Water & Healing at pool of Bethesda). Today we find Jesus healing in a unique manner.
Some may say Jesus making mud from spitting on the ground, then anointing the blind man's eyes is gross or unsanitary. To me though this focuses on the wrong aspect of the whole situation. If we fixate on the means of healing here, we lose sight of the fact that Jesus is healing a man who has been blind from birth. It's not about the method, it's about God!
Christian don't get so caught up in the "how to" of things that your entire world gets propped up on your understanding. The very thing Proverbs 3:5-6 says not to lean on. It's a recipe for disaster that leads to a hard fall when we choose to set our eyes upon the "how to" and our understanding, instead of on Jesus.
Moving beyond the method we see Jesus tells the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. Up to this point Jesus has done everything. He saw the man, He went over to him, He created the mud, He anointed the man's blind eyes. Now He tells the man to do something.
Here's that confrontation that always comes with Jesus and His Word. It's a deep internal confrontation of what we'll do with what we see, hear, and are commanded. For this man it was whether he would respond in faith to do as He was told or not.
Beloved, you can follow Jesus around, listen to His Words, study Him, but if you choose not to abide in and obey His Word, then what is the purpose of it? Remember in John 8:31-32 Jesus said to those who believed in Him, "If you ABIDE in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.".
Will you abide in Jesus and His Word? If you say yes, you now must know 1 John 2:6.
1 John 2:6 -- He who says he abides in Him (Jesus) ought (owes a debt) to walk just as He walked.
There is really no way around confrontation when it comes to Jesus and the Word. If there is no confrontation (good, healthy, truth filled, based in love confrontation), then I would honestly step back and assess exactly where Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life is at in things. It's not to say every single interaction is filled with tense, deep level soul searching, just that when the truth and light are present it disrupts deceit and darkness.
I prayed and prayed about what to draw, then suddenly today's image came vividly to mind. This is Ernest P. Worrell, the greatest camp counselor to ever live, being bitten on the nose by his pet turtle, Pokey. Every time Ernest got close to him, he'd bite his nose. Such fun walking with the Lord every day!
Well, that's where this journey went today. God is so awesome and it's such a blessing to be able to see and hear Him in His Word. Don't take my word on any of it, be the Berean and check it all out for yourself!
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
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